The Best Time To Query

There are very few secrets to publishing. There really isn’t a secret handshake or a way to dodge rejection. Every author starts with an idea, writes the book, and has to jump the hurdles to find the right place to publish their book.

For those who think the big presses are the best fit for their novels (meaning the novel will appeal to a large audience of mainstream book-buyers and that the author would like some money up front for advertising), then there are a few open secrets that you might have missed. These aren’t new or revelatory, you can probably find them on any book blog (I’ve published them at least once I’m sure). These are just the tidbits that everyone in the industry takes for granted and assumes everyone knows.

1 – Literary agents close for several months of the year so always check their websites to see if they are open to queries right now.
2 – Summer is con season and, on Fridays, the agents and editors leave work early. If your deadline falls on a Friday, make sure the manuscript gets in early.
3 – Between Thanksgiving (American) and Groundhog’s Day, publishing is slow and full of NO. Everyone wants to clear their desk for the new year and empty their inboxes so agents (and editors) are quicker to say no this time of year.

That means February is one of the best times to query. Everyone is back from their holidays. Everyone is over their “no booze” New Year’s Resolution. Everyone is excited about the coming spring and in the mood to say YES!

And now it’s time for the shameless advertising… If you want your book (or query, or opening chapters, or whatever) edited and ready to go by January, now is the time to book an editor for November and December.

This isn’t the time to schedule your 2016 NaNo novel for an edit (there will be a special for NaNo winners in mid-January). This is the time to get the novel you spent all 2016 working on edited so it’s ready for the 2017 query season (and, with a little luck, publication). For self-publishers, this is the time to schedule your Valentine’s Day releases. Give me your meet-cutes and holiday murders!

So, send me an email and let’s get editing!